IN RESPONSE to Vanessa Lynn Arnold's derelict houses letter (September 7) in Southampton.

A property near me has been empty and in a disrepair for at least 25 years. The garden has had nothing done to it for 52 years when the previous owners emigrated to Australia on the £10 ticket 53 years ago.

The owner lives somewhere else and won't sell it or do it up for someone to live in. I have no idea why. The garden is full of Japanese knotweed, brambles, nettles, bindweed and rubbish which encroaches into my garden.

I have been in touch with the council and all they have managed to do is get the owner to cut it back once a year (if I'm lucky). The council say there is nothing they can do as it is privately owned. The windows downstairs are covered in tin and upstairs are all smashed. Someone came and put a scaffold tower up about four months ago just to make it look as though it is being done up but nothing has been done.

In my opinion, the owner is just having the council on.

The programs you see on TV about empty properties tell you to get in touch with your local council but they don't want to know.

I have been in touch with numerous places to try and get some help, but they all say get in touch with your local council.

It's a vicious circle.

P J Nestor (Joy)

Southampton